Band-Aid

Band-Aid

was formed in 1984. The name was chosen as a pun on the name of the adhesive bandage as well as it referring to a band which provides aid. Band Aid was founded by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure so they could raise money for the famine relief in Ethiopia. They released the record Do They Know Itís Christmas. The original song was produced by Trevor Horn. The song was a big hit and was re-recorded two times. The group got together three different times to record the same song at the same time of year. Each time they got the most successful Irish and British pop performers to record the song. Some of the performers recruited to do the song were, Kool and the Gang, Jody Watley (the only Americans used), Phil Collins (drummer), Tony Hadley (vocal), Status Quo, Paul Weller, Sting, Glen Gregory, and Paul Young. The record was released and it reached number 1 in the U. K. And stayed there for five weeks. It also sold over a million copies in the first week. It sold over 3 million copies total. It became the biggest selling single of all time in the U. K..As an added bonus, One year On, was on the flip side of the single. Many of the people who were involved in the original making of the Band Aid single appeared on the 1984 Christmas edition of Top of the Pops and they mimed the record.

The musicians in the 1984 version ogf the song were, John Taylor, Phil Collins, Midge Ure, Jens Langhorn, and Adam Clayton. Those who recorded the 2004 record were, Paul mcCartney, Danny Goffey, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Fran Healy, Justin Hawkins, and Dan Hawkins. In 1986 the band, Chumbawamba, released their album called, Pictures of Starving children Sell Records, and also the EP called, We Ar the World, which was jointly recorded with the U. S. Band, A State of Mind. They were intended to be anti-capitalist critiques of the Band Aid/ Live Aid project. They claimed that the record was nothing more than a cosmetic spectacle and was designed to draw attention away from the real political causes of world hunger. Some felt that such as Morrissey, felt that the record was tuneless and thought the record was talentless considering the talent that was involved in the recording of the record. It seems that many people would disagree with Morrissey because the proof is there in the sales of the record. There would not have been over 3 million copies sold had the fans not liked it. Many people will not donate to a good cause without getting something in return for it.